About Us

Newmarket Drama Group has a long and proud tradition of amateur drama which goes back to the turn of the last century. It started out in the 1920s as a subsidiary of the Newmarket GAA club when it was known as the Dramatic Society. Groups have been active in practically every decade since then.

This is not an official history but rather a placeholder to be replaced once the official history is written.
If you have any material whatsoever that might be useful please contact us.

The Early Years

“Another subsidiary of the [GAA] club was the Dramatic Society. There was always a taste for plays in town, be they the visiting fit-ups or the larger companies or the smaller ones – ‘Dusky Dan & Co’, ‘Shannon Players’, ‘Bart Patterson’, ‘Dobells’ – an English company, the Equity Players from the Abby and Anew McMaster’s Shakesperian Company.

The old Dramatic Society during the end of the ’20’s and ’30’s with people like Davy Duggan, Jim Nevin, Mrs. Lennon, Mrs. Eddie, Nora Corcoran, Nell Shea; later on Matt Jones, Jane Finucane, Jimmy Cronin, Con O’Shea, Julia Cronin, Bill O’Keeffe – they did plays like “The Red Redeeming Dawn”, The New T.D.”, “The Lord Mayor”, “Con the Shaugherain” and “Paul Twining”. “

“The Bugle in the Blood” in 1953 was one of the best we did with a great cast: Jim Nevin,Con O’Leary, Jimmy Cross, Mary Duane, Maura Cremin Mulcahy, Nancy Cotter, Richard Allen, Dan O’Riordan, Kattie Daly, Paudy Daly and Jimmy O’Riordan. Another production was “Sinbad the Sailor” by Donie Duggan, with Maureen O’Connor Brown, Michael O’Reilly, T D Cronin, James Fitzpatrick and Siobhan O’Brien.

They all contributed to the club funds. The Christmas plays, such as “Christmas in the Market Place” were produced by Jimmy Cross.

Festivals

The group attended festivals as far back as 1946 and a certificate – which still exists – was awarded to them for their performance of a scene from Arms And The Man at the Kerry Drama Festival in 1946.

There was then a lull for many years on the festival scene, but in 1966/67 the group entered and won at one-act rural festivals at Limerick and Scarriff and went on to win the All-Ireland in Loughrea with a production of Brian Barrett’s A Song for Sixpence, a play with a 1916 theme.

THE 1960s THROUGH THE 1980s

There were a number of plays in the 60s including A Song for Sixpence in 1966/67, The Wise have not Spoken in 1967/68 and The White Steed in 1968/69.

“The group again took an enforced and long “rest” mainly because of emigration and because they did not have anyone to produce drama in town. However, the spark was kept alive, principally by the ICA who entered in drama festivals in the early 80s.

In 1986 the group won at North Cork one-act Festival in Charleville with The Trial by Anthony Booth. The cast were Eileen Fitzgerald, Anne Leo, Lucy Lane and Mary O’Connor. Lucy was chosen as the best actress and Michael O’Halloran the production award in the rural section.“

“For some groups, 1992 will go down as a year of new beginnings. After an absence of nearly 20 years, Newmarket Drama Group took to the boards with new enthusiasm, staging three one act plays earlier this month.“

THE NEW MILLINIUM

The Drama Group has been very active starting in 2001.

“The Newmarket Dramatic Society staged many of their productions there [the CYMS hall, also now known as the Newmarket Community Centre] after the building underwent a major, much needed renovation in 2002, spear headed by the late Father Anthony Cronin and a committee of local people. The first play the group performed there was their award winning production of John B. Keane’s ‘Many Young Men of Twenty’. Among the many plays they performed there, were ‘Dancing at Lughanasa’, ‘Out of Order’. ‘Holiday Snap’, ‘Don’t dress for dinner’, ‘Caught in the act’, ‘Lend me a Tenor’. More recently the group performed a play by local playwright Mike Guerin called ‘Alpha’ in Meelin hall.“

Material Needed

We are looking for more content (old posters, programs, articles and photos ) that pertain to the Drama Group.

Recent Plays

2015: A Skull in Connemara
2014: Alpha
2012: Lend Me a Tenor
2011: Caught in the Net
2010: Don’t Dress for Dinner
2008: I don’t like thee Doctor Fell
2007: Moll
2007: Holiday Snap
2006: Out of Order
2005: Moonshine
2004: All the Way Back
2003: Dancing at Lughnasa
2001: Many Young Men of Twenty
1996: Philadelphia, Here I come
1995: A Letter from the General
1994: The Chastitude
1993: On the Inside, on the Outside
1992: Bar and Ger
1992: Pity about Kitty
1992: Just a Song at Twilight

The New Gossoon poster, 1932Staged in Boherbue on Dec. 11 and in O'Brien's Hall Newmarket on Dec. 18, 1932.